


Though She Be But Little

by TheRedScreech



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-10-15 07:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17524739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedScreech/pseuds/TheRedScreech
Summary: A series of one-shots (and some short multi-shots) about our favourite, littlest paladin. Mostly fluff. Definitely some angst. Almost all chapters are rated for general audiences, but there are a couple of chapters that require a higher rating (for violence); these will be rated accordingly within the individual chapters.





	1. The Maze

“Hey, half-pint!”

Pidge grunted non-committedly and plopped herself into her chair. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, she groped for her spoon with the other.

“What’s the matter, short-stop? You look tired,” Lance continued, undeterred.

Pidge shovelled green goo into her mouth to keep from answering.

“You know, squirt, if you’re this grouchy in the morning, maybe you should sleep more?”

She didn’t even grace that with a response. She knew she should sleep more but she’d been running facial recognitions through her stolen Galra databanks in the hopes of finding her dad and brother. No luck so far but that meant nothing. The universe was a big place. She’d only gone to bed because Green had almost crushed her laptop as a threat. The giant, pushy, magic, mechanical Lion that she was.

At least Pidge’s lack of response shut Lance up. He turned on Keith instead. Geez, why did he have to pick a fight this early in the morning? The guy was far too chip to be healthy. At least Allura would take him down a notch or nine in training.

Training. Ugh. Okay, so it wasn’t all that bad, but Pidge hadn’t slept well and, yes, she was trying but not as hard as she knew she could. After getting the crud kicked out of her by the combat drone (and then sadistically enjoying watching Lance get the crud kicked out of him), Pidge was hesitant when Allura changed tactics.

“Bonding time!” she crowed which was met with groans from everyone. “Oh, come on!” she encouraged brightly. “You’ve done this one before.”

“Please don’t be the maze, please don’t be the maze,” Lance whispered.

“The maze!”

“Awwww!”

Pidge just smiled, all hesitancy gone. She could do the maze with her eyes closed.

Allura beamed. “The usual partners, I think, for the first round but then we’ll switch it up a bit.”

Pidge was in the process of giving Shiro a knowing look when she froze. What did Allura mean ‘switch it up’? They were going to switch partners? Why? Well, she knew why. The bond among the team as a whole needed to be strong. But still…why?

Shiro reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze, reassuring her without words.

“Pidge, you’re up first,” said Allura. “Paladins, clear the deck.”

Pidge waited patiently in the middle of the floor until she heard the telltale buzz of the invisible, electric walls. Then she heard Shiro’s voice, calm and confident: “Turn to your right and take three steps forward.”

Pidge’s eyes slid closed automatically as she turned. Oh, yeah. This was something she could do.

Everyone took their turn with very few incidents with the walls – they were getting better at listening to each other. Even Lance did well, instructing Hunk through the maze.

“Excellent!” Allura smiled at them all while Coran stood off to the side, stroking his moustache. “Now, Coran has thoughtfully reprogrammed the maze into several different designs so the next round will be an entirely different maze. Also, we’re switching partners! Shiro, you’ll guide Lance. Hunk, you’ll guide Keith. Keith will guide Shiro. Pidge, you’ll guide Hunk. And Lance, you’ll guide Pidge.”

When Pidge looked over at Lance, he looked confident. Shiro had looked no less so. She could trust Lance…right?

Having gone first for the first round, Pidge went last for the second. By that time, Keith, Hunk and Shiro had gone in search of lunch so it was just Lance in the control booth, and Allura and Coran, having confidence in them, had gone off to wherever they went when they weren’t supervising the paladins. Pidge stood on the deck and wondered why her heart was racing in her chest. She wasn’t afraid. She liked Lance. He was friendly – a bit overly so, but she chalked that up to coming from a large family – he was open and kind when he wasn’t making fun of her size or her sleeping habits or her technological jargon. He was a team asset. He had an eye for detail and was skilled at long-range warfare – she’d seen him get downright mean with his bayard. She trusted him, she really did, so why was she scared?

The walls hummed and she thrust all fear from her mind. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

_“Take two steps forward and turn left,”_ Lance said over the intercom, no doubt or concern in his voice.

She obeyed. Two steps forward, turn left. Electricity zapped her and she stumbled back, her eyes snapping open.

_“What was that? I said take two steps!”_

“That was two!” she shot back at the booth.

_“No, that wasn’t! That was like one and a little bit.”_

Pidge gritted her teeth. “Fine. Starting from where I am, where do I go?”

_“Okay. Take five steps forward and turn right.”_

She obeyed and collided with another wall. “Ow! Lance!”

_“It’s not my fault!”_

“You’re the only one who can see where I’m going so, yeah, it kind of is!”

_“Well, yeah, but you’re not following my directions! Your steps are too small.”_

“I’m a small person!”

_“So take bigger ones!”_

“Shiro didn’t have any trouble!”

 There was a beat of silence and then she heard a distant _thunk_ , like a door being slammed.

“Lance?”

No answer.

“Lance? Are you there?”

Nothing.

Had he…had he left her in here?

Pidge’s heart beat faster. “Lance? I’m sorry I got mad. I didn’t mean to compare you to Shiro. I guess I’m just used to him being my partner. He made me walk into a wall before he realised he needed to give me more steps. My steps are just smaller. I don’t have as long of a stride as you guys do. I have to jog when you’re walking if I want to keep up with you.” She smiled, interjecting humour, but there was still no response from the control booth.

“Lance? Please tell me you’re there.”

Tears stung her eyes when nothing but the walls’ electrified buzz met her ears. She bit them back, clamping down, pushing, and shoving her pain somewhere else.

“Fine,” she bit out. “Have it your way.” Bonding exercise her foot. She had learned from an early age to solve problems on her own. She had learned how to do a lot of things on her own.

Pidge closed her eyes and brought her hands up, spreading out. She inhaled, exhaled, and calmed her heart. Electricity gave off heat. She could feel her way out. She would have to.

She would.

-:--:--:-

Lance stomped through the long and winding halls to the dining room. He didn’t want to be mad at Pidge but he was mad at Pidge. She made everything his fault. It wasn’t his fault – it wasn’t! She was just so small. He could admit to himself that he made fun of her a lot for her size but he’d never realised how small she was until he was trying to direct her through the maze. Her steps were just so freakishly tiny!

He stormed into the dining room and everyone stared at him. Allura and Coran were here, too.

“Didn’t go so well, bud?” Hunk asked with concern.

Lance ignored him. Now that he was here, his anger was derailing into embarrassment. “Shiro,” he muttered, “I can’t get Pidge through the maze. I can’t adjust for her short stride.”

Far from looking amused, Shiro’s eyes widened in dismay. “You left her in there?”

“Well, yeah. I only came to get you…” Lance trailed off at the look of horror in everyone’s face. “What?”

Shiro didn’t answer. He shoved his chair back and ran, Coran right on his heels. Allura gave Lance a scathing look while Keith didn’t even look at him. Hunk sighed and slung an arm around his shoulders.

“Come on, man. Let’s find Pidge before she finds you.”

-:--:--:-

If she hadn’t been wearing gloves, Pidge’s fingers would have blistered by now; she lost count of how many times she had gotten zapped. As it was, she didn’t even sigh with relief when an alarm beeped cheerfully, the completed maze collapsing behind her. She was free. It hadn’t taken as long as she’d thought (and had taken a whole lot more luck than she’d thought) but now, she just wanted to go to bed.

Exiting the training deck, running footsteps made her pause. She looked over at Shiro who had ground to a halt, Coran right behind him. Both stared at her.

Pidge opened her mouth to greet them – or maybe ask why they looked like she had sprouted another head – when Hunk and Lance came around the corner.

Lance.

Her hands curled into fists, her eyes narrowed, and she turned around and stalked away.

“Pidge?”

Pidge ignored him.

“Pidge, wait.” A hand landed on her shoulder.

Bad move.

Pidge grabbed that hand, shifted her weight and threw Lance over her hip into the nearest wall. “Don’t. Touch. Me,” she snarled.

Lance stared up at her, eyes wide in his face.

Pidge didn’t give him or anyone else in the hall a second glance. She left.

They did the maze again the next day but switched back to their original partners. Pidge found no pleasure in it anymore. She kept her eyes closed and did as Shiro told her. She didn’t even graze a wall but there was no triumph in that. Not anymore. Not when she knew she could do this by herself, also with her eyes closed, which she did when all the others were done and gone. She knew she was losing faith in her team, knew that her lone-wolf attitude would come back to bite her when they needed to form Voltron, whenever that would be.

Pidge was with the team only out of necessity which was during training. She took her leisure time and her meals in her room or in her lab in Green’s hangar, both of which she locked. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She didn’t want to listen to Lance apologise – like this was something someone could say a few words about and then all would be well. Pidge knew that she would have to forgive him at some point but she was too hurt. She wasn’t even angry at him, not anymore, but he had hurt her. Left her. Hadn’t said anything to let her know that he had only been going to get Shiro because Shiro was the one who could guide her through without fail every time. If Lance had said _something,_ Pidge would have waited. Probably. She wouldn’t have thrown him into the wall, though. Probably.

Pidge hated that she couldn’t trust her team as a whole. She could trust Shiro, would follow him to the universe’s edge and beyond, but not the team. The team was patchy and unreliable, and she hated that that was what she thought of them.

She hated that something as trivial as her size was the cause of it.

-:--:--:-

“Pidge is becoming more and more secluded.” Shiro could not look Allura in the face as he said it. He was the leader of this team and this team was falling apart.

Allura nodded, her eyes distant and solemn. “Yes. We must remedy that.”

“How? She won’t talk to us – she won’t even talk to me! What can we do?”

Surprisingly, it was Coran who spoke. “Perhaps Pidge simply needs a reaffirmation of her trust in the team, and I know just the thing.”

-:--:--:-

“The maze again?” Lance whined.

Pidge silently admired the way Allura shut him up with a look. She would pay to learn how to deliver that look effectively.

“Yes, Lance. The maze again. I’ve seen some sloppy teamwork from you all these last few days, and the maze is an excellent way to build trust.” Blue, Altean eyes landed on Pidge. “Pidge shall go first. Paladins, come with me.”

Pidge blinked in surprise, as did all of the others, because shouldn’t it just be Shiro leaving? What was going on? Did Allura want her to prove that she could make it through the maze on her own? That hardly seemed accurate, considering the princess’s rebuke of their recent team-building skills.

Pidge did her best to even out her breathing. Then the walls hummed as they burst from the floor.

_“Turn right and take four steps. Then turn right again.”_ Shiro’s voice was calm and confident as always, and Pidge automatically relaxed, letting her eyes slide shut.

_“Why do you close your eyes, Paladin?”_ Coran’s voice over the intercom startled her, but she answered smoothly.

“I don’t need to see where I’m going.”

_“Why is that?”_

Pidge frowned. Shiro wasn’t making anymore instructions. What was she supposed to do? Keep going?

_“Paladin? Answer the question.”_ Coran sounded irritated. At her? Why?

“I don’t need to see because Shiro is my eyes.”

_“And you trust him?”_

She didn’t even think about her answer. “Yes.”

There was a pause, then, _“Take nine steps forward and turn left.”_

“Keith?” Pidge didn’t open her eyes, but what was Keith doing?

_“Take nine steps forward and turn left,”_ Keith repeated.

Were they all taking turns directing her? Was this Allura’s idea of team bonding? That meant that sooner or later Lance would have a turn. Her fists clenched at the thought.

_“Is something the matter, Paladin?”_ Coran asked stiffly.

His tone was identical to the drill sergeants at the Garrison and her spine straightened instantly. “No, sir,” she replied, and she took those nine steps and turned left, her eyes still closed.

_“Walk forward five paces, turn left, and then take seven more steps.”_ It was Shiro again. What was the ploy here?

Keith again: _“Turn left, walk thirteen steps, turn right.”_

Then it was Hunk. _“Take four steps, turn right, take eight steps and turn left.”_

Now her heart began to beat faster. They were taking turns. Hunk, Keith, Shiro, Hunk, Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Keith, Hunk, Shiro. They were also leading her in circles. Her sense of direction was decent but her brain was sharper, taking stock of all steps and turns. She was deep in the maze yet she was going around in circles. She came to no dead-ends, she hit no walls, but she could no longer trust where they were leading her, and yet she obeyed anyway because their trick had to end soon, right?

It was Shiro’s turn again. He asked her to turn right. She hesitated because what if she needed to go left instead? If she went right, she would doubtlessly continue circling. How long had she been in the maze for? Twenty, thirty minutes? Twice as long as her unguided record time. Five times as long as her guided record with Shiro.

Coran’s voice crackled through the system. _“Paladin, your leader gave you instructions. Why aren’t you moving?”_

Pidge wanted to cry. This was not fair. This wasn’t fair to her or to her team who had to watch her obey their misleading directions. She bit back her tears and turned left, lifting her hands.

Voices clamoured through the training deck, reverberating off the walls – Coran, Shiro, Keith, and Hunk: _“Pidge, Pidge, you’re going the wrong way! You’re headed straight for a wall! Turn back, turn back!”_

It didn’t escape her notice that Lance had not yet given her directions, nor spoken at all. She made herself not care.

The air suddenly warmed around her fingertips and Pidge froze. A wall. They were right. She had reached a dead-end.

Now what?

There was only silence from the booth. She didn’t dare open her eyes, though; she could not trust them.

Sudden footsteps behind her made her whirl just as she snapped her eyes open.

“Lance?”

Lance was walking slowly toward her and…had his eyes closed? “Hey, Pidge,” he said. “You lost?” He tried to sound casual but there was a tremor in his voice.

Pidge was tempted to say no. She wasn’t lost. She could figure this out on her own. She’d done it before…

Lance reached her, his arm bumping her shoulder. “Oops. Sorry.” He opened his eyes and looked at her. He didn’t smile, not when he was looking right at her. “So, uh, I got Allura in my ear. She’ll get us out.”

“If she’s on a different channel, just tell me what it is,” Pidge retorted. She wanted to take a step back but the wall was in her way. She settled for crossing her arms over her chest.

“Sorry, Pidge.” He actually sounded sorry, his brow low and a frown pulling his mouth. “It’s a separate com-link. Allura can show you what she did to my helmet to get it to work when we get out.”

Meaning that the only way for her to get out of the maze was to trust Lance. Pidge flicked her eyes up to the control booth. She couldn’t see through the tinted glass and she could only guess where Shiro would be, but she picked a spot and glared at it for a second before sighing.

“Okay,” she said, dropping her arms.

Surprise shot Lance’s eyebrows up his forehead. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

Lance hesitated before holding out a hand. “I really am sorry that I left you in here. I was a jerk. I didn’t mean to hurt you and I’m so, so sorry that I did.”

Pidge looked away, her arms twitching to come up again and act as a barrier between her and him. “You could have said you were going to get Shiro,” she whispered.  “I thought…”

“You thought I’d just leave you?” Lance was trying so hard not to be offended; Pidge could hear the strain in his voice.

Pidge shrugged. “It’s happened before. People leaving, and I don’t know if they’re coming back or not.” A couple of traitorous tears slipped down her cheeks and she looked up at Lance.

Now Lance smiled. It was sad and sorry and hurt but it was for her. His sorrow was for hers, and he wrapped her gently in a hug. He tucked her under his chin, his arms secure around her. She stiffened for only a second, contemplating throwing him into a wall again. But the walls were electrified and she was done being petty and hurt and lonely. She hugged him back, sniffing quietly.

“We’re not going to leave you, Pidge,” Lance told her, his voice like that of an elder sibling to soothe a child’s fear of a thunderstorm. _It’ll be over soon. We’re inside, safe and warm. The rain can’t get you, and neither can the thunder. It’ll be over soon._

“This is war, Lance. We’re in a war. You can’t make promises like that.”

“I can make whatever promises I want!” Lance retorted. He let her go, only to grip her by the upper arms as he crouched to be more on her level. “Promises make you accountable. Promises give you a reason to fight tooth and nail. We’re not going to leave, Pidge. We’re going to stay together as a team because even though the whole dang universe is counting on us, I don’t want to let you down.”

Pidge gulped back her tears. “You scared of me that much, McClain?”

“I’ve never seen a Galra half my size judo-throw me into a wall.”

Pidge snorted wetly and smiled. It was so hard to stay mad at Lance for long. The overly-friendly, over-confident buffoon.

“Come on.” Lance straightened and held out a hand to her, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. “Allura says six steps that way and turn left. We have to back-track a ways,” he explained.

Figured. “Is that six steps for you or for me?”

“Me,” said Lance. “How many would it be for you?”

“About ten.”

“Oh.”

She shook her head. “Much to learn, my young padawan has,” she grumbled low, taking his hand.

“Kiddo, you’re already short and green and have the attitude of a gremlin. You really don’t want to go there.”

“Sassy, my young padawan is,” Pidge continued in the same gravelly voice. “Teach him some manners, I will.” She kicked him lightly in the shin, their armour clanking.

“Sorry, Master Yoda,” Lance conceded with a wince. “Shall we?”

Pidge nodded, grinning, and closed her eyes. Peeking through an eyelid, she saw Lance had closed his eyes, too, and had a look of intense concentration on his face. “Six steps for you,” she reminded him, squeezing his hand.

“Right.” He squeezed back and they walked forward.

Pidge kept her right arm out as she allowed Lance and Allura to guide her, but the air never warmed with a nearing wall. A few minutes later, when the alarm beeped and the maze collapsed, she finally opened her eyes and found Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Coran and Allura waiting for her.

Allura smiled at Pidge. “Well done, Paladins. Well done.”

It occurred to Pidge as Shiro and Hunk dragged Keith in for a group hug that she hadn’t let go of Lance’s hand yet. Whatever. If it went to his head, she would just throw him into another wall.

-:-

Thank you for reading!


	2. Climbing

Pidge threw herself out of the way of a drone’s blaster. Rolling, she came up on her knees behind a low wall, only to duck again as blaster fire streaked overhead.

_“Pidge?”_ Shiro called over the comms.

“All good,” she huffed back. She winced as the drone struck her wall twice but the reinforced wall held – she really had to talk to Coran about what kind of material they used on the ship; it could prove useful if she could enlist Hunk in helping her make adjustments to the Lions.

_“Okay. Lance, cover Pidge so she can get out of there. Hunk, Keith, with me.”_

The sound of a nearing blaster almost deafened her but Pidge made herself move when she saw Lance in her right peripheral.

_“You’re going to have to do better than that, Lance!”_ Coran informed them over the training deck's intercom. _“These drones are different from the others and have only one weak spot. It’s up to you to figure it out.”_

As Pidge ducked out from behind the wall and ran for Lance, she heard him grunt, “Can’t you give us a hint?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she demanded, coming to a halt behind him.

She smirked at Lance’s dismay and peered around him at their opponent. The drone wasn’t any bigger or stronger than its predecessors but she knew its armour was tougher than any of the others. Still, Coran had said it had a weak spot. Where was it? Where was it?

Pidge’s eyes roved over the robot as it and Lance continued to exchange weapons fire. On the other side of the training deck, Shiro, Keith and Hunk were in full-out war with two drones. Standing at seven feet in height, the drones were sleeker than the Galran sentries and possessed wicked double-barrel blasters. Though not as heavily armoured as their Galran counterparts, Coran had hinted that these drones were made of stuff similar to steel except ten times harder so the usual places to aim for, like the chest and head, were useless.

Pidge suddenly smiled. She had found the weak spot.

“Hey, Lance. Draw his fire.”

Without waiting to see if he would – of course he would – Pidge ran out from behind. Her shield engaged and she blocked the enemy blasts. “Lance!”

“Oh, right. Geez, kid, what are you doing?”

“Coran said these things have a weakness. I just found it.”

_“Pidge!”_ It wasn’t just Lance who warned her but the entire rest of her team.

Pidge rolled her eyes at the overprotective bunch and continued to dodge and evade. Lance finally got the drone’s attention: it turned away from her and as soon as it did, Pidge rushed in. One thing she loved about mechanical opponents was that they all offered lovely nooks and crannies for hand- and footholds. Her quick brain located holds all the way up the drone’s seven-foot frame, and then she was on top of it.

“Pidge, what the quiznak are you doing?” Shiro yelled – in her ear, across the training deck.

“Working,” she retorted. Her small hands and feet dug in and held on as the drone twisted, trying to shoot her. The poor thing had specific programming that prevented it from dropping its weapon. Oh, well. All the more advantage to her.

“Lance, bring it down before she gets killed!”

“Don’t bother!” With a sweep of her bayard between the oblong head and the wide torso, Pidge sliced the head off. Sparks burst from the severed wiring, the blaster ceased firing, and creaking and groaning, the decapitated drone fell to the ground. Pidge jumped off before it hit the floor, landing with her feet together and her arms out like a gymnast. “Ta da!”

While Shiro, Hunk and Lance gaped at her, Keith took down the remaining drones with two elegant sweeps of his sword. He took off his helmet and, Pidge could see his grin even from across the training deck. He gave her a thumb’s up.

“Good call, Pidge,” he praised.

_“Well done, Paladins!”_ Coran said from the booth. _“Not exactly how I thought you would remove the processing unit but you’ve proven an adept climber, Number Five.”_

Pidge stowed her disengaged bayard on her belt, removed her helmet and shook her hair out. “Thanks, Coran,” she said with a wave at the control booth.

_“You’re welcome! I believe that concludes your training for today. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”_

“Oh, heck, no!” Hunk ran for the door. “No, no, no! You are not! Not if I beat you there!”

Pidge giggled. And the race was on. Everyone but Coran had learned to not mess with Hunk when it came to making meals, but Coran was bent on rewarding them with vile (if nutritious) food. It was common entertainment for the paladins to find out who won the foot race to the kitchen; and if Hunk was victor, they were rewarded all the more richly.

After a grueling morning of training, the paladins were disappointed when Coran sauntered from the kitchen, loaded plates and bowls floating around him. Pidge imagined him as a cat as he sat on Allura’s empty chair's left and stroked his moustache, washing his whiskers of canary residue. Hunk was a slumped over bump on a log in his own chair, his gaze morose as his defeat was literally shoved down his throat.

Pidge elbowed him when she sat down. “Cheer up, Hunk,” she said. “You’ll beat him next time.”

“If there is a next time,” was the solemn reply. “I think this food will actually kill me.” He poked a bowl with his spoon, clearly anticipating the goop to gain consciousness and turn on him.

Pidge patted his shoulder and turned to her own bowl. Eyeing it warily, she scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

Ugh. Yuck. Blech. But filling and nutritious.

What she wouldn’t give for a peanut butter cup.

They were halfway through the meal when Allura walked in. “I’ve set the coordinates for the Suroï system. Hopefully, we’ll find some allies among the free planets that are there. Ah, Coran, this looks wonderful!”

She settled down with a bowl of her own and grinned at them all. “I heard excellent things from Coran in training today, especially about you, Pidge. Well done.”

Pidge almost choked on her goo, her face heating at the praise that rarely came her way from the princess. She swallowed thickly and squeaked, “Thank you?”

Lance snickered into his bowl and Shiro elbowed him.

“I am curious,” said Coran, “about where you learned to climb so well.”

Pidge tried to answer without embarrassing herself further. “I didn’t really learn it. I just do it. I do it all the time.”

“You climb seven-foot-tall robots all the time?” Lance chortled. Shiro elbowed him harder and gave him a stern look.

“No. I…just…climb. I kind of have to ‘cause I’m, you know…short.”

The faces around her were mixed: Shiro and Hunk were smiling, Lance was snickering, Keith was unperturbed, and Allura and Coran stared at her.

“I climb everything,” Pidge continued. “Shelves and counters, whatever to get at whatever I need. It’s easier than fetching a stool or a chair. I’ve been doing it for years.” A sudden smile lit her face and she added, “I even climb on people if I need to.”

Shiro coughed on his food, clearly remembering the time when they had gone to get the Green Lion. They’d been startled by a tall, sloth-like creature, and Pidge, out of pure terror, had scaled Shiro like a tree. Pidge smiled at him.

Turning back to Allura and Coran, she said, “Anyway, yeah. I’m good at climbing. Also, my hands and feet are small so I can usually find a decent hold. That drone in training was no biggie. I once raced Matt up the oak tree in our yard during a windstorm. _That_ was hard. I totally beat him to the top, though, because he chickened out halfway up.”

Now it was Shiro’s turn to laugh. “That’s because your brother has no fondness for heights.”

Pidge smirked. “No, he doesn’t, which makes me wonder what he was like during lift-off.”

“Oh, geez!” Shiro’s face fell into his hands, his shoulders shaking. “He had the window seat! I forgot he had the window seat. He was screeching the whole way up until we broke atmo!”

The entire table erupted with laughter but Pidge was loudest of all. She cackled, long and hard. She folded her arms on the tabletop and rested her head there, laughing and laughing. After a long moment, she got her breath back enough to say, “Tell me you’ll help me to never let him live it down.”

Still chuckling, Shiro raised his right hand. “Scout’s honour.”

“So let me get this straight,” said Lance, smiling at her. “You mean to tell me that you, who’s barely over five feet, are not afraid of heights?”

“Why would I be?” asked Pidge.

“I dunno. I thought all short people had issues with heights because they’re not used to being high up.”

Pidge out-right grinned. “Matt is taller than you, Lance, and he’s scared of step ladders.”

“Not that he’d need one.”

Everyone stared at Keith. In the dead silence, Pidge could have heard a pin drop.

“Oh, my gosh, Keith! Did you just make a joke?” Lance gaped at him. “Did someone record that? Please tell me someone recorded that!”

Keith tried to scowl but Pidge saw his mouth twitch upward. “I am capable of emotions, you know.”

“Well, yeah, but, like, you made an actual joke. You don’t need emotions for those!”

“Just like you don’t need your brain for talking?”

“Ooooh!” Hunk egged them on.

“Okay, guys,” Shiro said. “That’s enough.”

But neither Keith nor Lance seemed to hear, and Pidge took that as her cue to leave. Ducking out of the dining room, she headed straight for Green’s hangar. Her Lion sat in her usual rest, on her haunches with her head high.

“Hey, girl,” Pidge greeted, striding in. “Mind if I join you?”

Green rumbled in acquiescence and Pidge boosted herself up onto the nearest paw. Standing, she hooked her hands and feet into the little divots in Green’s leg and began to climb. Hand over hand, one foot after another, she continued all the way to her Lion’s neck where she crawled along to rest on top of her head, just above her glowing, yellow eyes. Lying on her stomach and crossing her ankles in the air, she propped one hand in her chin and trailed the other over the warm metal.

Unbeknownst to Pidge, Coran and Allura smiled at the security pad which displayed the littlest paladin resting atop her Lion’s head some fifty feet above the ground. Now they understood what she meant by climbing all the time, and Allura had to wonder if any kind of challenge existed that would cause even the most daring of the paladins to balk.

She doubted it.

-:-

Thank you for reading!

 


	3. Bold

The upside to Pidge’s current predicament was that it could have been a lot worse.

It could have been a lot better, too, but she wasn’t complaining.

No, that was what Keith was doing.

Okay, fine, so he wasn’t really complaining, not like Lance would have been if their places had been switched, but he was pacing and it was grinding on Pidge’s nerves. She couldn’t fault him for it, but being captured by the Galra was hardly a cause to lose one’s composure.

“Keith, I’m begging you here, please sit down. You’re going to give yourself an aneurism,” Pidge said, trying to sound kind but ending up sounding tired and frightened.

Keith barely glanced at her. “How could this have happened?” he hissed to himself. “Where did it all go wrong?”

Pidge stood up and walked over to him, getting in his way and blocking him. “Keith, take a breath. It’s not your fault. We got duped. There was bound to be some aliens who don’t mind Zarkon’s rule. Everyone knows that Voltron is helping out people in trouble so they faked trouble. We fell for it because we weren’t expecting it. Hey.” She ducked in closer to catch his eye, smiling as she did. “At least Shiro and the others are okay. They got out which means they’ll come back for us.”

Keith blinked at her. The purple light in their cell turned his eyes deep black and his skin more pale than usual. He was a ghost beneath the greyish-purple outfits the Galra had forced them into. He trembled where he stood, from rage or fear, Pidge didn’t know so she took his elbow and gently pulled him to the floor in the corner farthest from the door. Disregarding the fact that Keith was never one for close, personal contact, she draped his right arm over her shoulders and cuddled up to his side.

She focussed on her breathing. Deep inhale. Deep exhale. In and out. Slow and steady.

Keith matched her breaths after a long moment, finally letting his body relax. He did tighten the grip around her, though, bringing her closer. “Thanks, Pidge,” he rasped.

“Any time, man. You okay?”

“Kind of. Do you…you think they know I’m part Galra? That that’s why they grabbed me?”

“No. Well, I mean, maybe, but I think it was more the luck of the draw. We scattered and they picked us off before we could even get to our Lions. We just happened to get the short end of the stick. Remember, I’m here, too.” She looked up at him as she said it, craning her neck. “If they were just after you, they wouldn’t have bothered with me. They’re after Voltron and now they have two of its paladins.”

“Right,” Keith sighed. “You’re right. That makes sense.”

“Of course I’m right,” Pidge said, digging a gentle elbow in his ribs. “When am I not?”

Pidge inwardly triumphed when Keith smiled and they fell into silence.

The silence didn’t last. “Remember that time when we were trying to form Voltron for the first time on purpose, and Allura and Coran got all fed up with us?” Keith asked.

Pidge snorted. “Oh, yeah. They chained us to each other. That was rude.”

“Yeah, but you know what I remember the most?”

“What?”

“What you said to Allura. You challenged her. “The princess of what? We’re the only ones out here. She’s no princess of ours” is what you said.”

“And then I got a face full of goo,” Pidge reminded him. “Totally worth it, though.”  
Keith snickered but sobered quickly. “You know, I think that was the first time I thought that you belonged on the team. I mean, when we met, I couldn’t look past how young you are. You just looked so…fragile.”

Pidge was tempted to elbow him again but didn’t because he kept going.

“I didn’t want you to come with us to the caves or help with Shiro or anything but I didn’t say anything because I felt like I had no right. You were Lance and Hunk’s friend and I guess maybe if they were okay with it, then I should be, too. It didn’t stop me from doubting you, though. Worrying. But then at dinner when you said what you did to Allura, I knew in a second that I was wrong. You’re so young and so small but at the same time, you’re bold. You’re bolder than I ever could be and you’re not cocky about it like Lance is. You say and do stuff without holding back. You never hold back, Pidge.”

Pidge was silent, her heart hammering behind her ribs, her face hot. No one had ever said something so kind before – and certainly not Keith.

“Pidge?”

“Um. Thanks.” Because what else was she supposed to say that?

The arm around her and the hand in hers squeezed. “Anytime.”

Heavy footsteps – too heavy even if it was Shiro or Hunk – pounded through the hallway outside their door, and Pidge had barely enough time to blink before Keith dragged her to her feet and placed himself in front of her just as the door slammed open.

A Galra the size and breadth of a mature cedar scowled at them, his narrow eyes pinning Pidge where she stood and narrowing further. Then he stepped aside. “They’re all yours.”

Pidge had never seen a druid up close before. Shiro had and so had Keith, and neither had been pleasant encounters. Half-hiding behind Keith, she reached out and touched his arm. Though he trembled, her friend shifted, hiding her almost completely.

The druid came to a fluid stop in the middle of the cell. “Thank you, commander,” he hissed, his voice a wispy baritone. “The little one first.”

Pidge’s heart leaped into her throat just as her stomach dropped out. The Galra commander and one other entered. Before either of them could react, the commander snatched Keith around the throat and pinned him to the wall while the other Galra soldier grabbed Pidge by the back of her neck and dragged her to the druid.

“Don’t you touch her!” Keith shouted, kicking and thrashing.

Pidge said nothing, her throat blocked by her heart. She tried to swallow as she stared up into the druid’s hooded face. A gnarled hand extricated itself from wide sleeves and stretched out for her. Behind her, Keith swore loudly, fighting harder, but Pidge was frozen where she stood.

 _Bold,_ Keith had told her not even two minutes ago.

But she didn’t feel bold. She was terrified.

That hand took her chin, long nails pinching her skin. She didn’t dare flinch. Yellow eyes burst to life beneath that dark hood, staring, weighing, measuring…and finding nothing wanting.

The fingers let her go. “The other.”

Pidge released the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and stumbled when the Galra grabbed her wrist and yanked her to the side.

The commander manhandled Keith, wrestling him to stand where Pidge had in front of the druid. Pidge knew Keith was looking at her, calling her name, but she couldn’t react. She felt as if her very soul had been turned inside out. She was scraped raw and left scattered in pieces for the crows.

She absently watched as the druid gripped Keith’s chin. She saw the flash of his yellow eyes.

And then Keith screeched and fell, his own eyes glowing yellow.

Keith was part Galra.

And now the Galra knew it.

Pidge could hear the druid smile as he said, “Commander, take the hybrid to Zenaka. I must contact Hagger about our newest addition.”

“What of this one?” The soldier holding Pidge jerked her arm.

The hood head turned to her and was silent for a long second. “Zarkon may have use for it.”

Keith still lay on the floor, curled tightly and whimpering. His yellow eyes flashed up to Pidge, the pain on his face explicit. “No,” he moaned. “Pidge…”

Keith was about to be enrolled in Zarkon’s army and he was worried about her?

To hell with that!

Pidge bit the hand that held her and wrenched free when her captor howled. “Keith!” she shouted, rushing the druid.

The cloak and hood vanished, only to reappear behind her. Pidge spun and ducked the bolt of purple-black energy he sent at her head. The commander stepped between them, backhanding her across the face and sending her to the floor.

“Filthy human,” he spat, advancing.

“No.” The druid slid forward, his cloak whispering along the cold stone. “Leave it to me. Take the hybrid. Now.”

The commander and the soldier inclined their heads and grabbed Keith’s arms.

“No!” Pidge reached out for him and was suddenly slammed into the floor. Purple energy rippled over her skin, puncturing, stabbing, and piercing every inch of her. It dug into her bones and into her brain and muscles. Her ears rang with an unholy sound she never wanted to hear again.

The attack cut off, leaving her gasping and weeping on the ground. A siren split the eerie quiet.

“Ah,” the druid mused. “It appears the other paladins have come to rescue you. A pity they’ll be too late.”

Limp and helpless on unforgiving stone, Pidge glared at her enemy. She felt Green nearby, felt her Lion’s rage and hatred pour into her, giving her the strength to slowly pick herself up, to roll to her knees, and to stand. The druid watched her, his shadowed face fathomless. “Yeah,” she spat. “They would have wanted to see this.”

She charged, dodged a purple bolt, slid past the druid and used the wall as leverage to leap onto his back. Her legs wrapped him tight around the waist, her hands finding his hood and yanking. He yelled and fell backwards, and Pidge barely rolled away in time. But then she was back, dodging yet another violet blast, and falling onto his chest, digging a knee into his throat and grabbing his wrists.

He gagged beneath her, thrashing, but the harder he fought, the harder she dug her knee in.

A lucky bolt caught her temple, blistering the skin. With a shriek, Pidge tumbled sideways and when she looked up, she found herself staring at the hoodless druid. Clearly Galra, his skin was an ugly puce and hung off his face. His dull-lilac hair was wispy, his yellow eyes sunken.

He lifted slow hands and carefully drew his hood back up, once more hiding his face in shadow. “Nicely fought, Paladin,” he cooed at her as he stood. “I think the arena would love to see something of your calibre. You are a bold one.”

Pidge bared her teeth and lunged to her feet. A blast of purple shot her off her feet and the pain, the agony, make it stop. Someone make it stop!

It did. After a while.

Through her half-closed eyes, she saw the hem of his cloak draw near, saw the black boots peeking out. He crouched, cupping her chin and forcing her face upward. Yellow eyes glowed at her. “Yes. You might not last long but you’ll give them a show at least.”

Racing footsteps and nearing gunfire interrupted them, and the druid released her, standing. “Perhaps next time, Paladin,” he said and then vanished without even a burst of smoke.

“Pidge! Pidge!” Arms fell around her, clutching her close to something warm and metal. “Pidge? Can you hear me?”

Pidge let her eyes slide shut. Everything hurt. She wanted it to stop hurting. A moan escaped her throat.

Large and strong arms gathered her up. Hunk? “Steady, Pidge. Take it easy. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Pidge had the impression of being carried. The passing air ruffled her hair and soothed her blistered face. She was safe. Hunk had her.

Except…

“Keith,” she rasped.

“We got him, we got him,” Hunk assured her. “He’s going to be okay. You’re both going to be just fine.”

“They know… Galra. Know Keith is…Galra. Tried to…take him.”

“We know. Don’t you worry, Pidge. We’re not going to let them take him. Shiro and Lance are on their way with him right now. We’re going to meet them at the Lions.”

“Green,” Pidge groaned.

Hunk pressed her head a little closer to his chest. “That’s right. Green’s here. She came with us. She was all for busting down the door but Black made her stand down. Shouldn’t have,” he added more quietly and a lot more angrily.

Pidge was about to respond when they rounded a corner and…

Green.

Her Lion purred at her, loud and anxious. The images and feelings dancing through Pidge’s mind were close enough to words: _Paladin my Paladin safe now safe going home Green is here Green will protect my Paladin._

Hunk turned away from Green and carried her up into Yellow, strapping her into a pull-out cot in the cockpit that she hadn’t known had been there – did all the Lions have one?

Hunk squeezed her hand and left. “Shiro, this is Hunk. I’m in Yellow and I’ve got Pidge. She’s in rough shape. Looks like she went toe-to-toe with a druid. She needs a healing pod stat…I dunno, man. Green’s still rumbling but she’s not trying anything. I think she just wants to get Pidge out of here…Copy that. We’ll wait for you.

“Hey, Pidge?” His voice was closer and Pidge peeled back an eyelid. He smiled at her, teary and strained though it was. “Hey. We’re gonna be another few minutes but then we’re gonna go, okay? Think you can hold on for that long?”

Tears pricked Pidge’s eyes. “It hurts,” she whispered.

Hunk dropped to his knees and took her hand gently, stroking her knuckles. “I know, I know. But we’re gonna leave soon. We’ll leave soon.”

Pidge didn’t nod – her body hurt too much – but she squeezed his hand as tears trickled down her temples. The salt burned in her blistered skin.

Safe safe safe is my Paladin Green is here Lions are here. Pidge felt Green wrap around her, pulling her close to whatever equated to the Lion’s heart. Gears whirred and clicked, a warm glow washed over her. _Sleep my Paladin Green will protect my Paladin’s dreaming safe safe safe._

Pidge allowed her eyes to close.

-:--:--:-

When Hunk disembarked Yellow, Pidge limp in his arms, Allura and Coran were waiting for him at the hangar door. Gently, so gently, he handed her to Coran who took off in a sprint down the hall toward the cryo pod chamber. Hunk fell into step with Allura and followed, more subdued. They met Shiro, Keith, and Lance halfway there.

Keith was standing, barely, supported by Shiro’s arm around his shoulders. Bruises bloomed on his pale skin, one eye swollen shut. He seemed to favour his left leg. At the sight of Hunk, he stumbled out from under Shiro’s grip and almost fell into him. Hunk managed to catch him and the quiet, raspy words that fell out of his mouth.

“Pidge. Hunk, is she okay? The druid… I don’t know what happened. Is she okay?”

Hunk couldn’t answer, looking to Allura instead who would know better than anyone.

Allura’s chin shook and her eyes watered. “We don’t know yet,” she admitted. “If she was attacked by a druid, her chances are…slim.”

In Hunk’s arms, Keith was silent, even the tears that slowly trickled down his cheeks made no sound.

Hunk rearranged his grip so he wasn’t half-holding Keith up. “Come on, buddy,” he murmured. “Let’s get you to a pod.”

“It’s fine,” mumbled Keith. “I’m fine.”

“Sure you are. But you’re going to get one anyway. Come on.”

Coran was prepping a second pod when they walked in. Pidge was in the one right next to it, ghostly pale and still. She had never looked smaller, and Hunk’s heart squeezed.

“Coran...” Shiro began.

Coran smiled at them and said the words that brightened the entire universe and loosened Hunk’s tight heart: “She’ll be all right.”

-:--:--:-

Green. Green was everywhere. There was nothing that was defined here, no leaves or grass or food goo, but Pidge knew it was all green.

_My Paladin is awake Green missed you Green was worried._

Pidge smiled. _I missed you, too, girl._ She peeled open her eyes seconds before the transparent barrier went down. In those few seconds, she found Keith standing not even a metre away in front of her pod. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes downcast. Lines she’d never seen before dug trenches through his forehead and around his mouth, aging him twenty years.

Then the barrier disintegrated and she took a cautionary step forward, but there was no pain in her body. She was whole and fine.

“Pidge.”

She looked up at her name, up into purple eyes that no longer burned yellow. She smiled wider and let herself be caught up in Keith’s arms. “Hey, you,” she said. “Is this going to be a regular thing?”

“Don’t get used to it.” Keith’s attempt at brusqueness was ruined by the tremor in his voice and the wetness that fell on her head. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, too.”

Keith didn’t let go but Pidge didn’t mind at all. She was happy to be here in Keith’s hug, happy to be back in the Castle of Lions and among her family. In her mind, she heard Green purr with happiness and relief.

A breath of air in her hair startled her and she realised Keith was chuckling to himself. “Took on a druid with not even your bayard. You are a bold one.”  
Pidge smiled and buried her nose deeper into Keith’s shirt.

A sudden, wispy baritone whispered to her through the recesses of her brain: _I think the arena would love to see something of your calibre. You are a bold one._

Her smile faded, her gut twisted, but she didn’t say anything. No, she would never tell anyone. For now, she forced herself to giggle along with Keith and hug him a little harder because she was safe – they were safe – and she knew no one on this ship would ever let her be taken to the Galra’s arenas.  



	4. Bold- Keith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is originally Chapter 6 on FFnet, but I moved it up for better fluidity.

Through the stabbing pain in his skull, Keith heard the druid speak: “Commander, take the hybrid to Zenaka. I must contact Haggar about our newest addition.”

“What of this one?” the underling Galra demanded. He was the one who held Pidge.

“Zarkon may have use for it.”

Zarkon… Pidge would be taken to Zarkon. Tortured, mutilated and maybe thrown into the Galra arena like Shiro had been. Little Pidge. Bright and curious and daring and bold Pidge.

Keith forced his eyes open, to look up at her. “No,” he managed to say. “Pidge…”

He was looking at her so he saw her terrified face rise to hell-bent determination. He saw her bite – bite! – her captor’s unarmoured hand. He released her with a howl and she ran for him, calling his name.

Keith couldn’t react when the druid disappeared in a swish of cloak, reappearing behind Pidge. Purple and black lightning sizzled to life in that gnarled hand, and Keith tried, he tried so hard to call out to her.

Pidge ducked the bolt but suddenly found herself blocked by the commander. He backhanded her so hard that she went sprawling. “Filthy human,” he spat, taking a step toward her.

_No, no, no! Pidge!_

“No.” Someone else voiced his thoughts but he didn’t care because it was the druid that neared his friend. “Leave it to me. Take the hybrid. Now.”

In a distant corner of Keith’s brain, he was outraged that the druid kept referring to Pidge as ‘it’, but he couldn’t find the strength to say so, nor could he find the strength to fight back when the two Galra grabbed his arms and hauled him to his feet.

As they marched him past, he saw Pidge reach out for him with a resounding “No!”

Then all resolution shattered. All boldness, all strength, all hope snuffed out like a candle in a windstorm as purple lightning struck Pidge squarely.

The Galra forced him out the door and through another door at the end of the hall. Keith could no longer see Pidge but he heard her. He heard her scream. The sound of it froze everything inside him: his heart, his lungs, his brain. His entire body filled with the unholy sound that should never be voiced by anyone, let alone a fourteen-year-old girl.

_She’s fourteen. She’s only fourteen. She’s just a kid. Stop. Stop hurting her._

Half-dragged and half-marched down yet another hall, Keith heard his guards chuckle. 

“I guess Zarkon won’t be getting that paladin,” the commander quipped.

Something thawed him, something hot and fierce and ferocious. Keith smiled. Red. Red was here.

He found the strength.

Keith said nothing – it was not his way; give the enemy no warning – as he turned on them. They were Galra, stronger and faster, not to mention armed, but Keith wielded fire in his heart and he would not fail.

He twisted, yanking his left arm out of the commander’s grip, and nailed the subordinate in the throat with a closed fist. He felt everything collapse beneath his knuckles, and the Galra gasped and spluttered, stumbling away and trying to hang onto the wall as he wilted into death throes that would pull him to the floor in the next few seconds.

Keith didn’t waste those seconds. He spun and threw a rapid series of punches and kicks. The commander was more prepared and blocked furiously. Somewhere above their heads, an alarm blared, red light spilling like blood through the hallway. Despite Keith’s attacks, he found the Galra was gaining the upper hand, forcing him farther back and away from Pidge.

 _Pidge. Green’s paladin._ The two names reverberated in his soul, and he felt for the first time, a twinge of deepest grief from Red who had witnessed Zarkon’s betrayal and the resultant murders of the other paladins. It was like having her heart ripped out, watching her sisters scream with the death that took their pilots but would never take them. Red had promised to never endure another heartbreak. She would fight, fight for her pilot, for her sisters, and for her sisters’ hearts.

Keith roared, echoing Red’s heat and rage, and failed to see the kick that sent a pulsing pain searing up his left leg. 

_My Paladin!_ Red’s denial shrieked in Keith’s mind as he crumpled to the floor.

The Galra bent over Keith and gripped his collar, hauling him into the air. A fist caught his eye then split his cheek then bloodied his mouth. “Disgusting,” he snarled. 

Keith scrabbled at the hand, barely able to kick out with the pain ripping through his head from the blows and Red roaring.

The Galra brought him closer, their faces inches apart. Yellow eyes blazed at him, fangs bared at him. “Galra you may be, you are still a part of that pathetic species, and the Empire has no use for weak and pathetic soldiers.”

Keith tried to turn away from the teeth that drew steadily closer. He felt the hot breath on his skin, felt his pulse hammer in his throat like some morbid countdown.

And then a blaster shot echoed through the hall, and Keith tumbled to the ground, landing on his bad leg. He scrambled to his hands and knees to fight for his life and found it unnecessary. The commander lay sprawled, a hole the size of a Canadian toonie through one side of his head. It was still smoking. Keith turned his head in the other direction and the first thing he fixed on was a white-and-blue blaster that was still aimed and ready. Then it lowered, revealing Lance’s face which was filled with nothing but rage.

Then the rage fell to concern and he hurried forward, talking into his comms. “Shiro, I got him. I got Keith.” He knelt beside Keith, one hand still on his activated bayard. The other hand hovered uncertainly near his shoulder. “Keith? Hey, man, are you okay?”

“Pidge,” Keith moaned.

“We haven’t found her yet. Are you okay? Shiro’s gonna be here soon. We’ll get you out, all right?”

“Lance.” Keith reached out for him, gripping his forearm hard, not that it mattered because Lance wore his paladin armour. “There’s a druid. He has Pidge. She was screaming, Lance!”

Lance’s dark face paled, his eyes widening. “Be warned, guys,” he said into the com-link. “We’ve got a druid onboard. Keith says he has Pidge.”

Keith was close enough to hear the growling death threats on the other end, and smiled despite himself. If Shiro or even Hunk got his hands on the druid, he would bet that fingers around his throat would be the last thing the guy would ever feel.

“Let’s get you up.” Lance supported Keith carefully and he barely managed to stay upright, but he managed. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Home sounded great.

Keith just hoped that Pidge was all right.

-:--:--:-

Pidge was not all right.

She would be, that was what Coran had said, but she wasn’t right now.

Keith had spent barely an hour in a healing pod, most of his wounds superficial, save for the deep muscle bruise in his left calf. 

Pidge had spent the rest of yesterday and all night in the pod and it was now approaching lunchtime. Keith couldn’t bring himself to eat and he was grateful that everyone seemed to understand that. He was grateful that they had kept vigil with him last night in the cryo pod chamber. He was grateful that they hadn’t pried him for details, already aware that the Galra now knew he shared the enemy’s bloodline. He was grateful when they left him for lunch; he needed time to…think. It was a dangerous pastime for him, he knew, but it was still warranted.   
Keith thought about a lot of things as he stood statue-still in front of the occupied pod. He thought about home and the team, his place in it, and what it meant to be a defender of the Universe (he still wasn’t sure about that last one). He thought about the Kerberos mission reports and getting expelled from the Garrison. He thought about finding Shiro again and meeting three new…friends. It was funny because he had never really had friends before. He’d only ever had Shiro, who was more of a brother than anything. He thought about Hunk who was so tender-hearted it almost hurt to imagine him in a war. He thought about Lance who never stopped bickering with him but always came through when it counted – this last experience included. He thought about Allura and Coran who were so strong despite their bitter losses. And he thought about Pidge who sympathised with Keith’s anti-social behaviour, who was fourteen years old and smarter than he could ever dream of, and who had faced down a druid to help him.

It wasn’t his fault – he knew this – but it still hurt to look at the little girl who had suffered for his sake.

A quiet chime alerted him to the pod’s barrier falling, and then Pidge was stepping out carefully, her eyes on her feet and her hands gripping the pod’s frame.

“Pidge.”

Her head snapped up, her gaze meeting his, and he couldn’t help but hug her because he needed to hold onto her.

“Hey, you,” she greeted him, her arms winding around his waist. “Is this going to be a regular thing?”

“Don’t get used to it.” Keith tried to sound gruff but it was ruined by his relief and tears. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he added more solemnly.

“I’m glad you’re okay, too,” she said.

It seemed that Pidge didn’t really mind him hugging her or maybe she knew he needed this. Either way, he appreciated it, appreciated her, and he laughed a little. “Took on a druid with not even your bayard. You are a bold one.”

Pidge stiffened a fraction and Keith’s heart froze – what had he said? – but then she smiled and giggled with him, tightening her grip a little more. It was nice, and Keith felt Red purr in his mind. Green’s paladin was safe and all was well.  
  



End file.
